The Centre Court roof has not always been Andy Murray’s friend but on this occasion there was no stopping him under the lights. The sun that shone across SW19 during his quarter-final against Vasek Pospisil may not have reached Britain’s No1, but neither did the black clouds of championships past.
His victory over Pospisil set up a semi-final against Roger Federer, evoking memories of their last meeting in these championships in the final of 2012. Back then, with the scores level at one set apiece and on serve in the third, the rain came down and Murray’s hopes drained away. Heartache turned to joy later that summer when Murray defeated the Swiss in the Olympic final, but it was a difficult defeat to swallow.
It is highly unlikely that Murray and Federer will contest their semi-final on Friday under the roof, given the good forecast. However rain is a possibility on Sunday and should Murray feature in a final affected by the weather, this performance will certainly stand him in good stead.
Twice the match was halted because of showers but the Wimbledon referee, Andrew Jarrett, only opted to close the roof on the second occasion with Murray a set up. Bizarrely, it was closing just as the sun began to steadily spread over the All England Club and conditions did not dip throughout the afternoon.
Yet when play resumed after 35 minutes, Murray was revived. Perhaps an earlier stoppage of 38 minutes had disrupted his rhythm but even though he had already won the opening set thanks to an early break, his level improved midway through the second.
By then Pospisil was taking his time between points on his own serve, recuperating from the long, draining rallies he was coerced into playing. Murray’s returns were deeper and his timing more decisive, even though the common consensus is that his game is far more effective when playing outside.
Federer, on the other hand, is a true indoor master, able to use the more humid conditions with slower ball speed to his advantage, working the service angles with even greater precision than usual. So it proved in the first of those meetings in 2012 but Murray adapted well here on Wednesday.
Murray played in the first full match under the Centre Court roof in 2009 against Stan Wawrinka, and four years later was involved in controversy when his semi-final against Jerzy Janowicz was delayed for bad light at 8.39pm while the roof was closed. Back then, he was visibly angry with Jarrett’s decision to close the roof but he has also won games in the indoor conditions even though he admitted being surprised at his improved level against Pospisil.
“I didn’t feel like the breaks affected me too much,” Murray said. “Actually I played pretty well under the roof for a change, which is nice. I haven’t always played that well under the roof in the past.
“But I did feel like I played some good stuff when the roof closed. It was quite tricky conditions when we went out there. At the beginning it was pretty windy, it doesn’t normally swirl around in there but the wind was swirling around a bit, so it was making it tough.
“Then when the roof closed it actually made it a little bit easier. It was very humid in there.
“Both of us were sweating a lot when the roof closed. It does change the conditions a lot but I felt like I played quite well.”
If Murray reaches the final and rain descends, this performance could prove to have been pivotal. Unflustered by the Pospisil serve, his returns became fiercer and his backhands, in particular, arrowed across court past his 6ft 4in Canadian opponent. The performance provided a renewed confidence for a player whose game is not best suited for indoor conditions.
First, however, is Federer. Murray has not played the No2 seed in a grand slam on grass since that 2012 final meeting. Federer was asked on Wednesday about the rain delay against Murray three years ago, saying: “It was tricky because there was rain, then the roof closed I think midway through the second. I don’t remember, maybe the third. So that was tricky.”
Asked about his rain-interrupted victory over Gilles Simon on No1 Court, he added: “I don’t want to say it came in handy but I definitely came out with the right game plans. It’s clearly nice also in a rain delay, you can argue the other way, but it’s nice to be in the lead so you’re more relaxed in the rain delay rather than too concerned.”
Murray may not allow himself to think about Sunday’s conditions with such a major obstacle remaining in his way, but this display will doubtless give him confidence.
• This article was amended on 9 July 2015. An earlier version said Murray had not played Roger Federer in a grand slam since the 2012 Wimbledon final, and referred to Andy Murray’s 2013 Wimbledon match against Jerzy Janowicz as a quarter-final.
